Gary & Linda Brownlow
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Translations:
There is a custom that has become so much a part of our American culture that it has become almost iconic. We start every football game with it. It is the coin toss. Heads or tails? You are also flipping a spiritual coin. Life and death. Deut. 30:19 says, “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendents.” This is the great dilemma of the human race. There are only two choices. Heaven or hell. These are real, literal places. Who chooses? You do. And between those two choices lies the dichotomy between the Kingdom of God and the present evil age. Hell is a literal place. Jesus talks more about hell than heaven. It is rarely preached these days. “Let’s don’t scare people,” one says. “That is a little harsh,” says another. Well, this is a stubborn, rebellious generation, and time is running out. I think if you took a survey in hell, all would say, “I wish someone had told me the truth. I wish someone had shocked me into reality.” How many today are obeying the speed limit because of the compassion of the government? Or might it be that we don’t want to pay a big fine or have our license suspended. Jesus gives us three parables in scripture concerning rich men. Mark 10:17-22. In these passages, a young man asks Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replies, “You know the commandments.” The young man replies, “I have done all these things from my youth.” Jesus never responds to this amazing claim, but goes right for the young man’s heart. In verse 21 Jesus says, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess, and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Verse 22 says, But at these words his face fell, and he went away grieved, for he was one who owned much property. Luke 12:16-21. And He told them a parable saying; “The land of a certain rich man was very productive." And he began reasoning to himself, saying, “What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?” And he said, “This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store my grain and my goods.” And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?” “So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” Luke 16:19-31. Now there was a certain rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, gaily living in splendor every day. And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. And in Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue; for I am in agony in this flame.” But Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, in order that those who wish to come from here to you may not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.” And he said, “Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house-for I have five brothers-that he may warn them, lest they also come to this place of torment.” But Abraham said, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them." But he said, “No father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.” But he said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.” Pastor Jentezen Franklin poses an interesting question. What if these parables are not about three people, but chronicle the life of the same person? Think about it. How many people are completely self-absorbed and self focused, striving and manipulating to get ahead, pushing Jesus away, rejecting the conviction of the Holy Spirit, as if they are going to live in this life forever. And one suddenly finds himself in hell saying, “Oh my God.” A trumpet of warning and alarm needs to be sounded. People are perishing, and the modern church is more concerned about how many people we can gather up in a building and how much is in the checking account! In 2nd Cor.5:11, Paul says, “knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” In Jude 1:22-23, And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. What is hell like? Hell is a place of torment. Luke 16:23. Hell is a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mat. 8:12. Hell is a place of outer darkness and the absence of light. Mat. 25:30. Hell is a place of fire. Even the flames must be dark or black. In Mark 9:48, it is a place where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. There is no deliverance ministry in hell. The demons and powers of darkness that you allowed to rule your life will now devour you and torment you without restraint. There are three words translated as hell: Sheol, Hades, and Gehennah. All are connected to fire. There dwells in his tent nothing of his; brimstone is scattered on his habitation. His roots are dried below, and his branch is cut off above. Memory of him perishes from the earth, and he has no name abroad. He is driven from light into darkness, and chased from the inhabited world. He has no offspring or posterity among his people, nor any survivor where he sojourned. Those in the west are appalled at his fate, and those in the east are seized with horror. Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him who does not know God. Rev.14: 10-12 says, “he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” Brimstone is really sulfur. It is found inside the earth. In his book, Volcanoes, Pierre Kohler writes on page 43 that when Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980, 150,000 tons of sulfurous gas was ejected. The book of Job reveals what science wouldn’t know for 3,000 years inside the earth is brimstone. The Birmingham News, April 10, 1987 had an article entitled “Earth’s Core Hotter Than Sun’s Surface.” The earth’s core has a temperature of over 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Hell is forever. Once you are in, there is no way out. In Luke 16, Abraham tells the rich man, that no one can come get him or help him, nor can he leave to warn anyone else. Think about this. There is nothing you will give up to go to heaven that you will not eventually give up to go to hell. There will be no bars, strip clubs, drugs, adultery, or any such thing in hell. You will give it up. The question is when and where. Here are some more facts listed below. Hell is a place of everlasting fire. Mat. 18:8. Hell is a place of everlasting punishment. Mat. 25:46. Hell is a place of chains. Jude 1:6. Hell is a place of damnation. Mark 3:29. Hell is a place of judgement. Heb. 6:2. Hell is a place of fire. Jude 1:7 This fire is unquenchable. Mat. 3:12. The age of grace and mercy is coming to a close. Right now God’s mercy is new each morning. It will not always be so. Rev. 6:16-17- and they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and us from the presence of Him on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand? 1st Tim. 5:24 says that some men have sent their sins ahead to judgement. This is what happens when you humble yourself before Jesus and receive His free gift of forgiveness and pardon. Your sins are nailed to the cross to be remembered no more. God says in Isaiah 43:25, “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My sake, and I will not remember your sins.” God has the ability to think your sins out of existence. But if you choose to continually reject God and His dealings with you, hear this sober warning from the prophet Jeremiah in Jer. 23:39-40, “Therefore behold, I shall surely forget you and cast you away from my presence, along with the which I gave you and your fathers. And I will put an everlasting reproach on you and an everlasting humiliation which will not be forgotten.” Wow! More than anything, this keeps me on my face praying for my children, grandchildren, family, and friends. If I, in heaven, had knowledge of family or friends who did not make it, but went to hell, I will grieve and mourn forever. However, this can not happen, because Rev. 21:4 says, “and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and their will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the former things are passed away.” This means that even my own children and family, who by their own choice reject Jesus, would be blotted from my memory and all memory forever. But, sadly, the people who choose hell will remember everything. And they will weep to hear one more time the song, “Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound.” With bitter sorrow they will recall with crystal clarity every pastor, teacher, prophet, and witness that God sent to intercept their life from destruction. And what would they give for one more altar call and chance to say yes to the Lamb of God who died so that they would not have to be in this position with no hope. If this does not motivate us to pray without ceasing, I don’t know what will. Proverbs 1:24-26 says, “Because I have called and you refused to answer; I have stretched out my hand and no man heeded it, but you have treated as nothing all my counsel, and would accept none of my reproof, I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when the thing comes that shall cause you terror and panic.” What is heaven like? Hebrews 11:24-26 tells us that Moses counted even the reproach of Christ as greater riches than the wealth of Egypt. Let’s get practical. What did Moses really give up? Bible scholars and historians tell us that in today’s economy, Pharaoh would be worth between 80 and 120 billion dollars! Donald Trump and Paris Hilton would look like raggedy Ann and Andy. Come on! How much is enough? What is soul worth? What would it take for any of us to sell out? Moses discerned what was of true value. Paul says in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Nothing in history matches the natural splendor and breathtaking beauty of ancient Babylon. Consider these facts about the city of Babylon. There were 60 miles of walls that ringed the city. The outer wall was 550 feet thick, ballooning to 700 feet at the top. Chariot races were held on top of the outer wall. Behind the outer wall was a space, then an inner wall 250 feet thick. On top of the inner wall, huge pots of hot, molten lead were kept ready, and expert archers ringed the inner wall in case an enemy ever broke through the outer wall. The Pharaoh’s banquet hall was 1,650 feet wide and one mile long. Supporting this structure were 500 pillars 20 feet high. On top of these pillars were bronze gladiators and solid gold elephants. Fragrant, exotic flowers in pots of gold were suspended by chains of gold. The dining tables were shaped like horseshoes. Specially trained peacocks pulled little carts of fine wines and beverages among the tables. There was a 32,000-piece orchestra and choir that played continuously. Pretty impressive, huh? If that makes your mind go tilt, and leaves you with sensory overload, remember this. Jesus told his disciples He would not drink again the fruit of the vine with them until the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. If you think Babylon rolled out a five star operation, wait until Jesus puts on the ritz! If you think a 32,000-piece orchestra is a little much, wait until myriad’s of angels without number and beyond calculation join the saints of all ages in blended harmony singing Worthy Is The Lamb!!! Forget the fading splendor of Babylon, now in ruins, and behold the New Jerusalem described in Revelation 21. It is a city built foursquare. It is 1500 miles high and 1500 miles long. Set it on top of the United States and it would stretch from Maine to Florida and west to the Mississippi River. There is a high wall with 12 gates of pearl, each gate a massive, single pearl. There are 12 foundations made of precious stones. jasper-diamond sapphire-blue chalcedony-blue/white emerald-green sardonyx-white/red sardius-blood red chrysolite-gold/yellow beryl-blue/green topaz-pale green/yellow chrysoprase-yellow/green jacinth-red/yellow amethyst-violet/purple All these foundations are transparent, with the glory of God shining through. In John 14, Jesus talks about mansions prepared for us. In New Jerusalem, there is over a trillion square feet. If every individual mansion were several thousand square feet, there would be room for 30 billion people. That’s far more people that have ever lived since the beginning of time. God never intended for anyone to go to hell. If you spent one hour in each mansion, it would take over 3 million years to see them all. If you spent one day in each mansion, it would take almost 92 million years. You like to run or jog? Knock yourself out on heavens Main Street; 1500 miles long and made of transparent gold! Get a vision of the magnitude of what God has done and is doing. And this is just what we are told. It’s just a glimpse into eternity, just a foretaste of what’s prepared for those who say yes to Jesus. We have flipped the coin and looked at both sides. It’s life or death, heaven or hell. Is it fair? Well, we get to choose. What could be fairer than that? If you would say no to Jesus, here are two final warnings: Hebrews 9:27-And just as it is appointed for all men once to die and after that the certain judgement. Revelation 20:15-And if anyone’s name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was hurled into the lake of fire. If you would say yes to Jesus, consider these two encouragements: Luke 10:20-Neverless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. 1st Corinthians 2:9 KJV-But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. Don’t be foolish like the man in Luke 16 and think you have unlimited time. No one is promised tomorrow. You can receive Jesus as you Lord and Savior right now. Repeat this prayer from your heart: “Jesus, I confess I am a sinner. I am sorry for my sins. I believe you are the Son of God, and that God raised you from the dead, and you are alive forever more. I place my life in your hands, receive you as my Lord and Savior, and ask you to complete, through the Holy Spirit, the destiny that You ordained and established for me from the foundation of the world. Thank you. I love you. Gary Brownlow, PhD |
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